The Many Ways to Remodel a House

Buying a house is typically the biggest purchase a person ever makes. Beyond providing one of the three basic human needs, a house can be used to provide an investment in one’s financial future and as a place to express one’s style and flair. Occasionally, those two goals can be mutually exclusive. A very quirky or unique sense of style can reduce the buyer pool interested in buying the house, if-and-when it comes time to sell.

Having spent a career as a residential real estate appraiser I have seen it all, from the sublime to the, well, extremely questionable choices. When it becomes time to tackle a renovation project one thing is a certainty. The process will create a good deal of detritus. Fortunately, there are places that offer dumpster services for home renovations to make the job easier.

THE GOOD

Many people dream of the “perfect home.” The place, for them, that defines the lap of luxury. Perfection can take on a myriad of different forms when it comes to home décor. Color pallets, materials and the room that is involved can be combined in near infinite ways.

• Kitchens—to many the kitchen is the “heart of the home.” People gather here to prepare and enjoy their meals and catch up on family-time, both to start and end the day. Someone who imagines themselves with their own cooking show has a whole array of professional-grade appliances to choose from. For those more inclined to use the kitchen as a social hub, a marble counter top to use as a coffee bar is an option.
• Bathrooms—these can be a sanctuary of sorts for many. Whether taking a relaxing bath/shower or seeking privacy to, um, read the newspaper (they do still print those, yes?), a bathroom can be a place to get away from it all. At least for a moment. Perhaps the sought-after perfection comes in the form of a walk-in shower with shower-heads on every wall. Or, maybe it’s creating an oasis in that unused third floor attic space to put in a brand new bathroom.
• Living Areas—the old adage about all work and no play making a dull boy (or girl) is an old adage for a good reason. Here we might find a private library with built-in shelves lined with books for a quiet place for reading or contemplation. On the not-so-quiet side, there could be a rec room with a TV, game consoles, and a sound system for the teenagers in the family.

THE BAD

Sometimes, when in the market to buy a house, concessions must be made to conform to a budget. A home-buyer can find themselves inheriting an SEP (Somebody Else’s Problem). A person can find themselves in a house where a previous owner tried to renovate on the cheap. Maybe by using press board cabinets instead of wood or by using low-density carpet padding to make something look new, but which will wear more quickly.

Another issue that can arise is the previous occupants’ taste in color schemes (or the lack thereof). There are people out there who think that a 1960s-70s psychedelic pallet is the way to go. Think “Laugh-In” or the “Partridge Family” bus. Fortunately, this can generally be remedied with a good primer and a couple coats of paint.

THE UGLY

 Most everybody has seen the interior of a house built or remodeled in the 1950s-60s. Linoleum, chrome and garish ceramic tile were the “in thing” back then. Imagine, if you will, those 1-inch square ceramic tiles that were so ubiquitous back in those days. Now, imagine them in that dark avocado green, you know the one. As a backsplash or the half-wall behind the commode they might be distracting, but livable. In one house that I appraised, the entire bathroom (except the fixtures which were white) was tiled in these. The entire bathroom. The floor, the walls, the tub surround, the…ceiling! I won’t invite imagining that. Some things should just never be imagined.

“Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations” is a Vulcan philosophy from the “Star Trek” universe. Given the combinations possible it could also be applied to home remodeling here, on Earth, in the 21st Century.

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